This is what I hate about free agency

[phenom]

I go to offer a contract to a player, and this player is asking for 7 years/$28 million per year.

I offer 7 years/$20 million per year and player says no.

TWO DAYS LATER, player signs with another team for 7 years/$17 million.

WTF?? Why won't players take offers and pocket them to see what happens more often?

[Anyone]

Originally Posted by phenom

I go to offer a contract to a player, and this player is asking for 7 years/$28 million per year.

I offer 7 years/$20 million per year and player says no.

TWO DAYS LATER, player signs with another team for 7 years/$17 million.

WTF?? Why won't players take offers and pocket them to see what happens more often?

A player might not prefer to play for Team A over Team B, and take less money to play for them? I think it's totally reasonable they might.

A few reasons that OOTP simulates that they might (and there are many the game doesn't/can't also):

1) They value playing for a winner, and the other team looks like it will win more games or played better the previous season.

2) They want to start and see more competition for starting roles at their position on your team (more likely low "desire for winner" players, because it might mean the team they sign with has less talent overall).

3) The other team is closer to their hometown, so maybe they grew up rooting for that team. In reality, some players wouldn't care at all about being close to their hometown and a few would actually try to avoid it, while for most it would matter some but not a lot, and for a few playing for the team they were a fan of growing up or where their family lives would be easily worth, say, playing for 1/3 less. I'd guess it's a flat bonus in OOTP, perhaps bigger with high Loyalty.

4) They have reason to believe they'll get along with the others team's manager better than yours.

Those are the ones that I'm sure 1-3 are in OOTP, and #4 may or may not be.

Then even if none of those apply, the other contract might have incentives that raise the potential value, have an opt out or player option, not have a team option, or promise a starting role-- those being the ones I can think of.